BOOK NOTES: THE WAY OF THE HEART pt. III -- PRAYER

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"Solitude and silence are for prayer... Solitude [is not about] being alone, but as being alone with God... Silence [is not about] not speaking, but as listening to God. Solitude and silence are the contexts within which prayer is practiced" (p. 63).

The Prayer of the Mind

"It is quite understandable that we should experience speaking with real people, who need a word and who offer a response, as much much meaningful than speaking with a God who seems to be an expert at hide-and-seek" (p. 68).

"Thinking about God makes God into a subject that needs to be scrutinized or analyzed. Successful prayer is thus prayer that leads to new intellectual discoveries about God" (p. 69).

"The crisis of our prayer life is that our mind may be filled with ideas of God while our heart remains far from Him. Real prayer comes from the heart" (p. 71).

The Prayer of the Heart

"We find the best formation of the prayer of the heart in the words of the Russian mystic Theophan the Recluse: 'To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the LORD, ever-present, all-seeing, within you.' ... Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart; that is, at that point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one. There God's Spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes place. There heart speaks to heart, because there we stand before the face of the LORD, all-seeing, within us" (p. 74).

"Real prayer penetrates to the marrow of our soul and leaves nothing untouched... By its very nature, such prayer transforms our whole being into Christ precisely because it opens the eyes of our soul to the truth of ourselves as well as to the truth of God. In our heart, we come to see ourselves as sinners embraced by the mercy of God" (p. 76).

"The prayer of the heart challenges us to hide absolutely nothing from God and to surrender ourselves unconditionally to His mercy. Thus the prayer of the heart is the prayer of truth. It unmasks the many illusions about ourselves and about God and leads us into the true relationship of the sinner to the merciful God" (p. 76).

"To the degree that this truth anchors itself in our heart, we will be less distracted by worldly thoughts and more single-mindedly directed toward the LORD of both our heart and the universe... Temptations and struggles will remain to the end of our lives, but with a pure heart, we will be restful even in the midst of a restless existence" (p. 76-77).

Prayer and Ministry

Nurtured by Short Prayers

"Abba Macarius was asked, 'How should one pray?' The old man said, 'There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one's hand and say, "LORD, as you will, and as you know, have mercy." And if the conflict grows fiercer, say: "LORD, help." He knows very well what we need and He shows us His mercy.' John Climacus is even more explicit: 'When you pray, do not try to express yourself in fancy words, for often it is the simple, repetitious phrases of a little child that our Father in heaven finds most irresistible" (p. 80).

Unceasing

"'Ceaseless interior prayer is a continual yearning of the human spirit towards God'" (p. 84, quoting the famous story about a Russian peasant called The Way of the Pilgrim).

All-Inclusive

"When we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and touched by Him in the center of our being" (p. 86).

"The discipline of leading all our people with their struggles into the gentle and humble heart of God is the discipline of prayer as well as the discipline of ministry... When our worries are led to the heart of God and there become prayer, then ministry and prayer become two manifestations of the same all-embracing love of God" (p. 87).

"The prayer of the heart is indeed the way to the purity of heart that gives us eyes to see the reality of our existence. This purity of heart allows us to see more clearly, not only our own needy, distorted, and anxious self but also the caring face of our compassionate God. When that vision remains clear and sharp, it will be possible to move into the midst of a tumultuous world with a heart at rest. It is this restful heart that will attract those who are groping to find their way through life. When we have found our rest in God, we can do nothing other than minister. God's rest will be visible wherever we go and whoever we meet. And before we speak any words, the Spirit of God, praying in us, will make His presence known and gather people into a new body, the body of Christ himself" (p. 90).